Jose Mourinho given four-game ban for 'insulting' comments after Fenerbahce clash with Galatasaray in Turkish Super Lig
Updated 28/02/2025 at 22:16 GMT
Jose Mourinho has been banned for four domestic matches following remarks made after the goalless Istanbul derby between Fenerbahce and Galatasaray. Mourinho said the opposition bench were "jumping like monkeys" and claimed it would have been "a disaster" if the match had been officiated by a Turkish referee. His comments were labelled "derogatory and offensive" by the TFF.
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Jose Mourinho has been handed a four-match ban by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) after "insulting" comments in the wake of Fenerbahce's goalless draw with Galatasaray.
The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss was accused of racism by Galatasaray after claiming players and staff on the opposition bench were "jumping like monkeys".
Mourinho also suggested the match was better because it was not officiated by a Turkish referee.
The ban will apply only for domestic matches and not Fenerbahce's upcoming UEFA Europa League clash with Rangers - live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
A statement from the TFF read: "[Mourinho's] statements made at the press conference after the match and which are the subject of the referral were referred to our Board within the scope of Article 41 of the FDT.
"Considering the nature of the statements, it was determined that the statements used towards the members of the opposing team were not mandatory, were contrary to the ethics of sports and the concept of fair play, contained expressions that could encourage violence and disorder in sports, were divisive and separatist in society and could cause fan incidents, and it was deemed an act against sportsmanship.
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"Immediately afterwards, he directed his derogatory and offensive statements towards the Turkish referee, the 4th referee of the match, and accused Turkish football of chaos and disorder with insulting and offensive statements towards both the Turkish football community and all Turkish referees, and his actions and statements that insulted the brand value of football activities in Turkey."
After the heated Istanbul derby, Galatasaray said in a statement that they intended to "initiate criminal proceedings" over Mourinho's comments.
"Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Turkey, Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people," a statement from the Super Lig leaders read.
"Today, his discourse has escalated beyond merely immoral comments into unequivocally inhumane rhetoric. We hereby formally declare our intention to initiate criminal proceedings concerning the racist statements made by Jose Mourinho, and shall accordingly submit official complaints to UEFA and FIFA.
"Furthermore, we shall diligently observe the stance adopted by Fenerbahce - an institution professing to uphold 'exemplary moral values' - in response to the reprehensible conduct exhibited by their manager."
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Fenerbahce released a statement in response, which read: "A statement made by our Technical Director Jose Mourinho after the match was completely taken out of context and an attempt was made to deliberately distort it.
"As every sensible person can see and understand, these statements used by Jose Mourinho to describe the excessive reaction of the opposing team's technical staff to the referee decisions during the match can in no way be associated with racism.
"Trying to portray this statement as racist is a completely malicious approach. We would like to inform the public that we will use our legal rights regarding this pathetic slander that was made in order to take the competition off the field, change the agenda and manipulate it."
Fenerbahce confirm lawsuit against Galatasaray
On Friday, Fenerbahce confirmed they have filed a lawsuit against Galatasaray "due to the attack on the personal rights" of Mourinho.
The club announced they launched the legal action "for moral damages" amounting to 1,907,000 Turkish Lira - which equates to roughly £41,649.
"We would like to announce to the public that a lawsuit for moral damages of 1 million 907 thousand Turkish liras has been filed against Galatasaray Sports Club by Fenerbahçe Sports Club lawyers due to the attack on the personal rights of our Technical Director Jose Mourinho," Fenerbahce said in a statement.
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